Monday, September 27, 2010

Monday Grab Bag: Yay, it's game week again!

Ah, a nice and relaxing weekend of essentially nothing of consequence. Now on to a surprisingly full bag...

Georgia Stinks - I sat down Saturday night to watch the Georgia/Mississippi St game. Ohhhh boy is Georgia awful. Besides this being their 3rd straight loss, they lost in Starkville, MS for the first time since 1951. Woof. They couldn't move the ball at all on offense, only finding the end zone after the game had been decided, and their new and improved 3-4 defense couldn't stop an impotent version of the zone-read spread option. Whats more the 10th Bulldog (Georgia, not Miss St) arrest of the season took place Sunday when Demetre Baker was caught under suspicion of DUI and "other charges." This is a team full of bad mojo right now, and CU couldn't be catching them at a better time. Coach Mark Richt is the SEC's version of Dan Hawkins, and had the "I know I'm fired" look going Saturday night. ("The loss at State seems a tipping point. It seems the game in which the majority of Georgia fans stopped seeing Mark Richt as the answer and came to regard him as the problem." -link) I really don't know how much A.J. Green returning will help this team. Listen, CU is still facing an up-hill climb against Georgia on Saturday night, but I like our chances much more than I did 2 or 3 weeks ago.(All the 5-star talent in the world won't help you if you're out-coached)

Dolphis v Jets - I've been a Dolphin "fan" since I was 5, and the Jets game is always on fraught with drama and consternation. While I don't care as much as I did when I was younger, I still cared just enough to use the Fins game as the "commercial flip-channel" from Mad Men Sunday night. While the Fins eventually lost, their 2-minute drill in an attempt to tie the game was exciting, but it never should've happened. With a 1 point lead with just under 2 minutes to go, the Jets scored a TD. They then kicked the extra point to go up 8.... why? Why don't they go for two in that situation? If they convert the game is, for all intents and purposes, over. If they miss, the Dolphins still have to go the length of the field just to tie the game. You essentially risk nothing. Getting 8 points with under 2 minutes left is only slightly more difficult than getting 7. Getting 9 is damn near impossible. It was negative coaching from Rex Ryan, and just one more example of chicken-shit NFL coach decision making.

Braylon Edwards - Speaking of Fins/Jets, the Jets trotted out Braylon Edwards after his 1 quarter suspension for arrest on suspicion of DWI. 1 quarter? Seriously? Just don't punish him at all. I was all fired up to talk about cultivation of a culture supportive of miscreants, but Deadspin stole my thunder. What I will mention is that driving into work today I heard some idiot talk about the fact that getting arrested isn't necessarily against team rules, and so he shouldn't have been suspended, even for one quarter. That's bullshit. It's the same dumb-ass excuse that baseball players gave when they were caught doing steroids (well, It wasn't against team or MLB rules...). Violating the law supersedes team rules, dumbass. A professional organization shouldn't need to hold their employees hand and explain that committing a felony is against team rules. I know for damn sure that If I go out and commit a felony on Saturday night, that I will not be welcome at work Monday morning; no one from HR has to tell me that. Yes, yes... due process and all of that. He'll deserve a 2nd chance once that process has run its course, but he needs to sit his ass on the bench until then.

Ozzie and the Cubs - Hey, look kids, Ozzie Guillen is threatening to quit/retire/join the Cubs again. That must mean the end of the season is upon us. He does this every year, and yet people still report on it. I imagine it's easy for a reporter to get Ozzie Guillen to say just about anything. Ask him "Hey Ozzie, would you like an extension?" and you get a story about how he wants "assurance that are firmer than his current contract." Ask "Hey Ozzie, would you ever manage the Cubs?" and you get a story about how he would consider it "if pursued." Ozzie will say the honest truth (or whatever pops into his head at the moment) to whatever you ask him; he's just that type of guy. He's a beat reporters dream: don't have a story for tomorrows paper, just ask Ozzie some leading questions and there he goes. I just don't understand how people haven't caught on to this yet. Yes, Ozzie will be back next year; no, Ozzie won't manage the Cubs; no, he won't retire any time soon; yes, he is a pain in the ass, but he's a pain that usually wins ballgames despite predictions to the contrary. He's a circus act, and I'm surprised that people still hang on every word that comes out of his mouth.

Winning my fantasy baseball league - On the lighter side "Lou Brown's Tire World" (my fantasy baseball team) won my league's title yesterday. It was a hard fought season, but my fantasy superiority shone through in the end. Pitching, hitting; my team has it all. Sure, only 5 of the 10 teams had owners who paid attention, but the point is I WON. WOOO HOOO, bring out the champagne! If the Sox and Rox don't want to win something, I guess I'll have to take up the slack.(Way to bring home the title captain Lou!)

You know, for losing essentially every week, you lasted longer than I expected. Lol, you were still adding players like 2 weeks ago. For next year I think Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth might be good pickups.

In all seriousness, with first pick next year, if we stick with the draft format, you could turn it around in a hurry.